MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The last time the University of South Alabama men's golf team had less than a week to prepare for an event, the Jaguars went from recording a top-10 finish to posting a top-five result.  After concluding play at Auburn in ninth place on Monday, they will have an opportunity to replicate the feat when play gets underway Saturday at the General Hackler Championship hosted by Coastal Carolina.

The Jaguars first experienced a quick turnaround between tournaments in October, coming in ninth at Alabama's Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate but responding by placing fourth in a field of 14 at the David Toms Intercollegiate hosted by Louisiana State.

With that in mind, along with South's results throughout his first season in charge of the program, head coach Alex Hamilton expects little to change in the Jags' approach to this weekend's event, the first of two in the Carolinas while USA is on Spring Break.

"We haven't arrived yet where we want to go with the game plan that we've had all year long.  Until we get to that point where we can play three rounds of golf with the same mental approach and same commitment to every shot, we're not changing anything," he said.  "Hopefully we can get there this week, we're getting really, really close.  The last tournament we did it for a majority of the event — we had one bad stretch in the middle — so if we can finish that off and get three rounds of good mental approaches and good thought processes I think we'll be happy with where we finish."

Including the Jaguars and host Chanticleers, the 15-school field also includes Charleston Southern, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisiana State, North Carolina State, North Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.  The Cavaliers are the highest-rated team in the field, coming in at No. 3 in the GolfStat rankings released on Wednesday, with LSU ninth, Kent State 14th and Demon Deacons standing 15th coming into the event.

Action at the par-72, 7,233-yard Dunes Golf & Beach Club will get underway with a 7:30 a.m. (CST) shotgun start to the first of two rounds slated to be played on Saturday.  The final 18 holes on Sunday will begin from split tees at 7:30 a.m. as well, with live scoring available at www.golftstat.com for all three rounds.

"This will be a new event for us — South Alabama hasn't played in this tournament in more than 10 years — so it will be a new experience for our guys," explained Hamilton.  "It's at one of the three original courses in the Myrtle Beach, it's a wonderful track with a great layout that rewards good golf.  We're looking forward to the challenge of trying to play it and competing with some of the best teams in the country.  Hopefully we can handle the golf course and play well."

The Jaguars' lineup for the event features five individuals who have all competed in at least 17 rounds this season, with a quartet entering play with a scoring average below 74.

Peter Staalbo paces the group with a 72.82 figure and is one of three players with a team-best seven rounds at or below par on the year.  The sophomore has finished among the top 20 on four occasions with his career-low 6-under-par 66 in the final round of the season-opening Invitational at The Ocean Course — the Jaguars' last event in the Palmetto State — the best 18-hole score on the team in 2016-17.

Fellow underclassman Rasmus Karlsson lowered his stroke average to 73.10 last time out after pacing South with a career-best 6-under-par 210 total at the Tiger Invitational, the lowest three-round score by a Jaguar this season.  It resulted in his fourth top-10 finish of the campaign as the freshman carded a 3-under-par 69 on the opening day of the event and a career-low 4-under-par 68 in the final round.

Sylas Elliott has posted seven scores at or below par after accomplishing the feat twice at the Tiger Invitational, lowering his scoring average to 73.25 in the process.   The junior had recorded sub-par 54-hole totals in the Jags' previous two events — at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational and the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate — while finishing among the top 15 in the individuals standings at both tournaments.

Before tying for 21st individual at Auburn, junior Mendel had finished among the top 20 in three straight competitions highlighted by a tie for 11th at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate last month.  He has shot par or better in two of three rounds at each of the last three events and will enter the weekend with a 73.88 scoring average.

Drew Cooke will round out the USA lineup, coming into play with a stroke average of 74.59.  Prior to the Tiger Invitational, the senior had carded multiple rounds at or below par at the two previous events, finishing among the top 20 individually while shooting par or better over three rounds at both of the Jags' home tournaments.

In their lone appearance at the General Hackler Championship, the Jaguars finished ninth in a field of 19 teams at the 2004 edition of the event highlighted by a top-10 performance from former All-American Gareth Maybin.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club – the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  http://jaguarathleticfund.com/sports/2013/3/13/Birdie%20Club.aspx?id=26

—USA—